“Thank fuck. Have the other guys meet us at Rae’s.”
“I’m already on it.” Bear held his phone to his ear. He knew what it was like to love someone and not be able to protect them. Though I hadn’t had time to fill him in on the change in my relationship with Rae, the guys in the club knew I was the only family she had left. That made her family to them as well. Any one of us would risk our life to protect her.
Thunder climbed into the backseat through the window. “That was a fucking mess.”
“Anyone down?” I asked. Things had happened so quickly, I wasn’t sure if any of the Savage Bones had fallen.
“Not that I could tell,” Thunder said. “I only saw the shooter in the doorway and another guy that came around the back of the place. No telling who else they had inside.”
“We can deal with them later. Right now, I need to get to Rae.” Focused on a single goal, I locked on to an image of her face. She’d be alright. They were using her to get to me. If they harmed her, they’d lose their collateral. I wasn’t sure if they were smart enough to realize that, but I had to have something to hold onto.
“Four of our guys are en route to the apartment. Want me to call Sheriff Cade as well?” Bear asked.
“Getting him involved would be messy. Probably easier if we handle things ourselves.” The sheriff’s office had been busy with the recent influx of crime in Mustang Mountain. Ever since the Savage Bones had been moving in on our turf, things had gotten out of hand.
“Roger that.” Bear reloaded his handgun as we careened down the mountain. “I’m assuming you’ve got a plan?”
His assumption was incorrect, but I was working on it. They wanted someone to pay for their big drug deal getting busted up, and I was to blame. The easiest thing would be to trade Rae for me. I could handle anything they threw at me as long as she was safe.
“I’m going to give myself up.” I turned the corner onto Rae’s street. We were less than half a mile from her apartment, but it felt like we’d never arrive.
“Sorry, I must not have heard you right.” Thunder’s face appeared in the rearview mirror. “Because I know you didn’t just say you were going to fucking give yourself up.”
I met his gaze in the mirror. “If anything happens to her…”
“Bro, it won’t.” Bear clapped a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got this. Those sons of bitches don’t stand a chance against us.”
The truck slid as I slammed on the brakes in front of the apartment. I was out the door and halfway up the walk before Bear had a chance to open his door.
“I’m the one you want. Let her go.” My boots crunched on the snow as my words echoed in the silence of the night.
“Don’t do this, brother.” Thunder crouched near a decorative brick wall, his fingers wrapped around his gun.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Especially not Rae. If anything happened to her… tightness spread through my chest. It was getting harder and harder to draw in a breath. I needed to see her, needed to know she was okay.
The window in her apartment creaked open. Eight Ball stood to the side, barely visible behind the curtain. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t just shoot you dead right this fucking second.”
He really was as dumb as he looked. “I’ll give you two. Both of my guys have guns trained on your head, you sick motherfucker. You cap me, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”
The dumb fuck squinted and peered out the window. “So, then you come to pay your dues, old man?”
“Where is she?” Every second I spent talking to that asshole was one more second I spent without seeing my girl. I was trying to keep my cool, but my nerves were wearing thin.
Eight Ball disappeared from view and came back a few seconds later with Rae. Damn, she was a sight for sore eyes. I’d only been away from her for a couple of hours, but it seemed like forever since I’d held her in my arms.
“You okay, Sunshine?” My voice almost betrayed the emotions racing around inside me. For her sake, I willed myself to be strong and steady.
“You shouldn’t be here. I’m so sorry. Go!” Even from far away, I could tell she’d been crying. Her voice came out hoarse and her tears made her eyes shine. Eight Ball held her arms behind her back, and I wanted to rip out his throat for even touching her.
“Let her go, and you can have me.” I faced him, more than willing to sacrifice myself so that she could go free.
“I ought to fuck you both up for what you cost me,” Eight Ball shouted. He shoved Rae back and glared at me.
“You touch a single hair on her head, and you’ll have to deal with me,” I threatened.
Eight Ball held my gaze. “You come in the front, and I’ll send her out the back.”
I nudged my chin toward Bear, signaling him to head to the back of the building before I glared up at Eight Ball again. “No funny business. You try to fuck me, and my man will rearrange your brain. Got it?”
